Pepper, Chili Pepper 'Diavoletto' Organic

Chili Pepper 'Diavoletto' is an impressive and rare variety from Austria that produces beautiful elongated, fleshy chili fruits that range in colour from purple to golden brown and finally to deep orange red.
This very decorative little plant can be grown in the garden or in a patio pot in a warm and protected place or in a greenhouse. The plants have attractive purple flowers and stems, calyxes and leaf veins, which makes them an eye-catcher in the garden or on the balcony.

Chilli 'Diavoletto', meaning ‘little devil', produces fruits are not only visually attractive, but also beautifully spicy. You can recognise the ripe fruit by its intense colour and spicy scent. The harvest period begins approximately 70 days after sowing. To achieve a rich harvest, you should harvest regularly as soon as the fruits are ripe.

They are perfect for fresh consumption or for processing into sauces and salsas, but also for pickling. They fits into all dishes that need a little heat, excellent in a moderately hot tomato salsa.
They are at their mildest when fresh and become a little hotter when dried. The peppers can be dried or threaded onto a string as attractive 'Ristra' craft decorations, to be used over the course of the year in cooking.

• Organic Seed.
  This seed has been organically produced. The seed has been harvested from plants that have themselves been grown to recognised organic standards, without the use of chemicals. No treatments have been used, either before or after harvest and the seed is supplied in its natural state. It has been certified and is labelled with the Organic symbol.

Storage of Seeds:
Store seeds away from children, sealed in their packaging in a cool, dry, dark place, or in a fridge. Never store them in a freezer as the sudden temperature drop is likely to kill them. Don't leave the seeds in direct sunlight as the heat generated may kill them.

Sowing: Sow from mid February to April
Peppers like to have a long growing season. They can be sown February to April but are best sown before the end of March. They flourish in a sunny, sheltered position on a south facing wall, in fertile, well-drained soil or grown in a green-house, in pots or in the ground.
Fill small cells or trays with a good sterile seed compost and sow the seeds on the surface. “Just cover” with a fine sprinkling of sieved compost or vermiculite. Keep the compost moist - don't let the top of the compost dry out (a common cause of germination failure) If you wish, spray the surface with a dilute copper-based fungicide.
Cover the pot or tray with plastic or place in a heated propagator, south facing window or a warm greenhouse. The ideal temperature is around 22°C (72°F). They can be slow to germinate from 21 to 28 days. Remove the cover as soon as seedlings appear.

Transplanting:
When the seedlings have produced their first pair of true leaves and are about 5cm (2in) tall they can be transplanted to individual 9cm (4in) pots. Use good quality potting compost and mix in some organic slow release fertiliser. Pot the seedlings on again into 2 litre pots before they become root-bound.
Water the seedlings regularly, but don't let them become waterlogged as this encourages rot. Don't let them dry out as they rarely recover at this stage. Water the soil, not the foliage. Once the plants have established, it is better to water heavy and infrequently, allow the top or the compost to dry out in between watering.
Seedlings should be grown in good light, but should not be exposed to direct sunlight from late spring to early autumn. Weaker sunlight from autumn to spring is unlikely to do them harm. Once seedlings have put on some growth they need lots of light. Growing them under a grow-light produces excellent stocky plants, as will a warm sunny windowsill. Adult plants need lots of light. However, more than 4 hours or so in hot direct sunlight will dry them out quickly.
In May to June transplant to greenhouse border, growbags or large pots. Wait until June for plants that are to be grown outdoors in the ground or in 4 to 5 litre pots
Acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 2 to 3 weeks before they are moved permanently outside. Plant them into rich moist soil. Flowers do not form and fruit will not set if the temperature is much below 17°C (62°F) for most of the day, so wait until June for best results with outdoor planting.

Cultivation:
The plants can be left to grow as cordons with supports and just pinch out the top when they reach the greenhouse roof. But the best method is to pinch out the growing tip and produce a smaller bushier plant that will only need a little staking and produce earlier fruits which should ripen easier.
After the first flowers appear, feed every one or two weeks with a half-strength liquid tomato feed. You could also add some Seaweed extract to the water once a week.

Pollinating Flowers: (optional)
The plants are self fertile and will generally pollinate themselves. However, if you want to give them a helping hand to ensure that lots of fruit are set indoors, use a cotton wool bud or paintbrush to gently sweep the inside of the flowers, going from one flower to the next, transferring the pollen. The flower's petals will drop off as the green middle part of the flower starts to swell slightly. This is the pepper beginning to grow.

Harvesting: July to October - Harvest in 90 to 110 days
The peppers will take a few weeks to develop and a further couple weeks to ripen. You may pick them off the plant any time after they are fully developed but do not leave them on for too long, as delaying after the pepper is ready for harvest will result in a decline of further yields.
Be careful handling chilli and seeds as they can cause a painful burning sensation. Avoid contact with the eyes or any sensitive skin before washing your hands thoroughly.

Storage:
Store in a plastic bag in the fridge for several days, or chop and freeze for up to six months. They can be dried by putting them into a mesh bag, hang the bag up in a dry, airy, but not sunny spot.

Companion Planting:
Good Companions: Tomatoes, geraniums, and, petunias.
Bad Companions: Avoid beans, kale, cabbage, and brussels sprouts.

Origin:
Chile's originated in South America, where they have been under cultivation since prehistoric times. The seed's long viability facilitated the rapid spread of the plant throughout the tropics and sub-tropics by the Spanish and Portuguese, the spice becoming as popular there as vine pepper. Chiles were long known as 'Indian' pepper - meaning 'of the New World' rather than 'of India'.
The Cayenne is known to be Pre-Columbian in origin. It is said to be named after the Cayenne River in French Guyana. First offered in the seed trade by Joseph Breck & Son in 1883